Winning Angels Back
by pinkbananasmoothie
Summary: My take on events after 513; Rush To Judgement. After Flack brushes off Jess, just exactly what happens afterwards? AU from then. FA galore with a dash of DL and SMacked. My first fic - enjoy x
1. Chapter 1

**A/N; So I've finally uploaded WOO. I'm a huge FA fan, so I'm really excited as to where I'm gonna take this – I have an idea but please feel free to make any comments or suggestions. Please review – I wanna know how I'm doing & you'll make my day! This is un-betad so all mistakes are mine.**

**Disclaimer; Purlease – if I owned this show it would need to be re-christened the Flack & Angell show – although I do own all the boxsets WOO!**

Chapter 1.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." Don muttered angrily to himself as he slumped in his desk chair staring moodily at some equally as stupid crossword. "That was quite possibly the dumbest thing you have ever done you idiot.." he trailed off as he realised a uniform stood in front of his desk, his arms piled high with cold cases.

Flack groaned and sunk lower into his chair, "You're kidding me right? This is the punishment I get for doing nothing wrong?"

"'Fraid so Flack," said the uniform as he dumped the multitude of case files on Flack's desk.

"Oh, hey Jimmy – didn't see you under the mountain of paper."

Jimmy Logan, had only been at NYPD for six months but had immediately struck up a rapport with Flack after they had both ended up at the same bar one night madly cheering on the NY Rangers.

"Yeh sorry 'bout that. What were you muttering about before I interrupted? Something about being incredibly stupid?"

Flack's mood darkened a further shade, as he thought back to the way he had snapped at Jess not long ago.

"I've stupidly managed to piss off Je..Detective Angell."

Jimmy grinned, he knew perfectly well that Flack and Angell were an item – hell the whole precinct knew they were together just by the way they looked at each other. Comments had been made about the sexual tension between the pair since Angell had arrived and become Flack's partner.

Flack noticed Jimmy's grin, "Jim this is not a grinning matter."

"Oh I know, just how I also know that you'll think of a way to make it up to her."

"She's stubborn.."

"Heard you were too." Jimmy stopped talking as he spotted Detective Bonasera heading towards them. "I'll leave you to it, later Flack. Detective." Jimmy nodded to Stella as he walked away.

Stella perched on the only free corner of Flack's desk and squeezed his arm in a gesture of support and friendship.

"How you holding up?" she asked, eyeing the crossword, "5 down is whisk."

Flack glanced at his now abandoned crossword, "Oh cheers. How am I holding up..er I would be lying if I said I was fine put it that way. Nothing happened, he just collapsed. And now this – no benefit of the doubt and so suddenly I'm the bad guy."

Stella smiled ruefully, "Yeh well Mac will clear the allegations. Don't worry and we're all rooting for you, you know that but.." Stella paused as she mulled over her next words.

Flack noticed. "But what Stell?"

"Don't push Jess away, you could use her support right now. I know how close you two are, both professionally and personally"

Flack looked shocked, "How'd you know I'd pissed Jess off?"

"It's not exactly difficult. 1. I've seen you do cold cases before – yes you hate them but your mood right now is at the 'I'm gonna go punch a wall' phase. 2. Before I came to see you, I was in the locker room and who do I see in there but Jess talking to Lindsay with a face like thunder. And 3. As I am a detective I used my amazing skills of prowess and put two and two together."

Flack put his head in his hands and sighed, his brow wrinkled in thought. "How mad did she look exactly?"

"More angry than I've ever seen her, but I think talking to Lindsay will do her good – she's been in the same boat as Jess right now, what with Danny pushing her away after Reuben's death, so she'll be able to help. But as it is Jess, who is a tad more unforgiving than Lindsay, I would say, prepare to start grovelling Don."

Flack looked up at Stella with a mixture of despair, pain and anger at himself in his eyes.

"Any suggestions?"

"No Don, this one is all on you." Stella replied as she stood, "I've gotta go process some more evidence so I'll talk to you later okay?"

Flack barely even registered Stella leaving as his mind was already planning how to apologise in the best, most romantic way possible. He was not going to screw this up.

..................

Detective Jess Angell stalked into the locker room, anger radiating off her petite figure like a storm. She didn't even flinch as the door smashed into a set of lockers, she didn't care if anyone saw or heard, the pain that came with Flack casually brushing her off was more intense than she was expecting.

"Urgh men!" she grumbled as she strode over to her locker and retrieved her iPod. Putting the loudest song on she knew, she sank to the ground, hugged her knees to her chest and just listened. This was a technique she had developed as she was growing up; loud music deafens you to thoughts and voices. She had ran through entire albums as a teenager listening to her parents row about the most inanimate things and one album was played so hard after her mother died seven years ago that it had become scratched and refused to be re-played. The harder the drums, the worse the day was and today was no exception.

Jess was just going to use her break to clear her head of all thoughts of Flack, and then return to work and catch the perp who had strewn a wrestling coaches body parts in various dumpsters around town.

The loud music, her closed eyes and her continuing thoughts prevented Jess from seeing and hearing Lindsay slide down next to her onto the locker room's cold, linoleum floor. It wasn't until Lindsay placed her hand on Jess's arm, that Jess noticed.

Jess flicked off the song and looked at Lindsay, who sat there with a kind, understanding expression on her face.

"Hey Lindsay."

"Hey, you okay?" Lindsay asked giving Jess's arm a comforting rub, "It's just that you look like you could really use someone to talk to right now."

Jess leant her head back against the lockers and looked at the ceiling, searching for answers. "Yeh you could say that. But Don needs someone to talk to more, he's got IA on his arse."

Lindsay smiled at Jess's selflessness, "Stella and I are tag-teaming. She has gone to knock some sense into Flack, while I am here to listen as I probably know something about what you are going through"

"Danny?" Jess questioned.

"Yeh, last year, after his next door neighbour's son died he just pushed me away – wouldn't talk, refused to listen, he just closed himself off to the world and broke my heart in the process."

"You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine." Jess muttered.

Lindsay scoffed, "and I'm the president. Liar. Talk. Now." Her foot accentuated each word to the extent that neither Jess nor Lindsay heard the locker room door's creek open to let Flack slip through and listen intently as he to sat down on the floor the other side of the lockers to them.

"Fine." Jess sighed wondering where to even begin, "It's just... I love him so much that it hurts. So when he brushed me off earlier, it felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach. Everyone thinks I'm this tough, sassy person..and don't get me wrong I am..but I do have feelings so when the man that I've been seeing for 4 months now, just says, 'I have bigger problems right now than you and me' it kinda struck deep. I know it's only been four months..."

Lindsay scoffed again, "Four months my arse. Okay so it's been 'official' for four months but you and Flack have practically been together ever since you became partners – you two are inseparable, you both clearly had feelings for each other long before you acted on them so technically you've been together for like a year and four months."

"Okay I take your point. But I just asked him how everyone knew about us, and then he said that."

Lindsay groaned, "I can guarantee you Flack didn't say anything. He didn't need to – it's so obvious you two are perfect for each other, everyone knows. The connection you share is really extraordinary, you just click and don't get me started on the sexual tension the pair of you have – it's lethal, stay in a room with you two too long and you're liable to drown."

Jess laughed quietly, her good mood slowly returning.

"As his friend and yours, I can tell you you've got a keeper there Jess. Don't let one snappy comment, that Stella is bound to have made Flack realise was dumb, ruin what you have."

"But Lindsay what do we have? Just because I love him with everything I have – I still have no idea how he feels about me or where we are going." Jess whispered.

Flack was stunned – how could Jess not tell how much he loved her. He'd been in love with Detective Jess Angell ever since she walked through the NYPD doors in her form hugging jeans, those sexy as hell biker boots and that leather jacket and when he had heard her laugh he knew he was a gonner – all bets were off, this was the woman for him. Hell, he'd even told her he loved her – admittedly she had been asleep in his arms at the time but he had hoped her subconsciousness would have picked the sentiment up. Damn, he was going to have to try harder.

"Oh I'm pretty certain he loves you," Lindsay said smiling.

"Well I'm gonna have to wait till he's in a better mood to talk to him," Jess replied, "but thanks Lindsay I guess sometimes talking does help."

The shrill tone of a cell phone cut through the locker room, it was Danny ringing Jess to tell her he had made a breakthrough.

"Alright, I'll see you down there." Jess hung up, stood and bent to help up Lindsay.

"Unfortunately work beckons, crime never sleeps as we all know. I'll talk to you later." Jess said as she walked out the back doors and down to the lab.

Lindsay slowly made her way round the lockers to where Flack was.

"I thought I heard you come in, so you heard all that huh?"

Flack grinned, his infamous grin, "every word."

"Well I hope you do something about it then," said Lindsay as she exited the room.

"Damn right I will." Flack muttered, already thinking ahead to what he had to do when his shift ended for the day. He was going to make Jess realise how much he loved her, and that was a fact – his speciality.

**I love the last line ;-D**

**So there you have it...review and let me know how I'm getting on!**

**I'm off to go write the next chapter...i really should be doing some work but in the face of FA – who cares??**

**Mmmmm Flack *swoon***

**Em xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N; So here it is – chapter 2. Thank-you so so so so so much if you reviewed/favourite/alerted this, it really does mean a lot. Thanks to Lacythe DemonicDuck & Joy1791 for being my first reviewers!! **

**I am also going to ignore the spoilers for the season finale – I refuse to believe them.**

**Enjoy & leave a review ;-D**

**Quick warning – bit of language in this chapter but nothing severe**

**Disclaimer; yeh I still don't own it – god knows I wish I did. Oh the fun I would have.**

Chapter 2;

Any words that had helped her mood lift earlier in the day were now useless. Jess was angry – really angry. The Nielson case had really got to her; an innocent man had been murdered and then savagely chopped into pieces and scattered around various dumpsters all because some kid had a grudge, sent a horrific email which his 'do-gooder' father had decided to deal with. That poor man, well actually Jess felt sorrier for the wife – she had lost the love of her life for no apparent reason. The irony of true love was too cruel.

She was in pain too; that 'awesome' slide, as Danny had dubbed it, over the car's hood had actually hurt. Jess was pretty sure she had a sprained wrist from the force she had exerted on it when she jumped and then crashing to the ground on top of that kid was not helping matters. The hours worth of paperwork afterwards had also been a killer. She was going to be stiff and sore tomorrow morning, not to mention grumpy, and she still had to talk to Don.

Jess was currently walking the darkened streets from the precinct back to her apartment after having decided to leave her car there and not risk driving home on account of her wrist.

That had been a bad idea.

Roughly 5 minutes into her 20 minute walk the heavens had decided to open, and it was now pouring with rain. Jess was getting wetter and wetter with every step and her mood was deteriorating faster than the falling raindrops. Her make-shift sling was cutting into her shoulder, and it wasn't even working – the dull throb of the pain had somehow travelled to her head, so she now had a headache to deal with.

"It is not my day," she grumbled as she entered the lobby of her apartment complex, squinting against the harshness of the lights and the pain it caused to her head.

She tried to smile at the super, but she was pretty it sure it came out as a grimace. She didn't give a flying toss.

Walking over to the lifts, she angrily waited for the carriage to arrive while thoughts of a nice, hot, relaxing bath swirled around in her head. Her body twinged in pain as she felt the tap on her shoulder. She turned to face her balding super.

"Er..I'm really sorry Detective Angell but the lifts aren't gonna be arriving any time soon. They're up top – maintenance is working on them. You're gonna have to take the stairs." The super trailed off at Jess's glare.

"You're joking right?" she said icily.

"Nope," the man was almost shaking in fear.

"I live on the freakin' 14th floor! It's gonna take me forever to get up there." Jess was almost yelling.

"Look I really am sorry, but it is the only way. It'll do you good – exercise is important these days."

Jess had to restrain from laughing out loud at the sheer stupidity of the man.

"I'm a cop, all I do all day, every day is chase sodding criminals around this city. And I'm sorry but you are one to talk." Snarled Jess indicating her super's tyre rolls of fat bulging over his belt. Jess walked off towards the stairs ignoring the man's noises of insult behind her.

"Oh sod off," she muttered pushing through the heavy set doors.

Looking up, Jess surveyed just how far she was going to have to walk to get to her floor.

"Buga."

............................................

A couple hours earlier in the day, Flack had had to do the exact same walk except he was also laden down with bags full of food, movies, bubble bath, candles – you name it. If it was considered 'romantic' then Don had gone out and got it – it was all part of the plan. The determination to set things right had overcome the burning pain in his thighs as he had trekked to Jess's apartment.

Don was relieved he had his key to her apartment on him, he could still remember the day she had given it to him. Words could not express the feelings he had felt at that moment – he simply kissed her senseless hoping that actions spoke louder than words. They had. Jess had broken the kiss and simply said, "Your welcome," before resuming the kiss; they hadn't really done anything else for the rest of the evening. Don could remember the dinner they had both cooked had sat on the table ignored and slowly getting cold. Neither had cared.

Don was currently pacing in the front room, his suit jacket, tie and shirt long abandoned as he continued to stress as to Jess's whereabouts. He cut a dashing figure in just his dark trousers, and wife beater.

He whirled to face the door as he heard a key turn in the lock. His nerves were on tenter hooks, this was worse than any raid he had participated in, the anticipation and the battle of Mothra like sized butterflies in his stomach nearly had him on his knees.

One thought was hammering through his brain.

Jess.

"Hey Jess," he said softly, looking into her clearly shocked deep chocolate eyes, "Look I'm really sorry about before, I was an idiot and...." he trailed off as he realised Jess hadn't said anything and she was wringing wet _and _she had a sling on. Oh and she looked pissed.

Jess was shocked, truly shocked. What the hell was Don doing in her apartment? She was still mad at him, no matter how handsome he currently looked, all pensive and worried, his eyes blazing in the dim light, she was still stinging from his snide remark. And why could she smell pizza?

She wanted to burst into tears; the emotions of the day had finally caught up with her and the only way her body wanted to deal with them was to curl up and cry.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking, as she stormed past him and slammed her way into her bedroom.

Candles. Vanilla candles. Her favourite. He was trying hard.

She slumped, for the second time that day, defeated to the floor and leaning back against the door, she let the tears silently fall.

Don was too stunned to move. That was not part of the plan. He had to do something.

He walked over to her bedroom door and unknowingly mimicked Jess's actions – only a piece of wood separated them, and so he started to talk.

"Jess..." he paused for thought, "I know you well enough to see when you are not in the mood for talking so I'm gonna talk so all you need to do is listen."

He heard a faint mumble of agreement through the door.

"Jess, I'm so sorry for what I said earlier today, I never meant to hurt you. I knew as soon as the words came out of my mouth I had been an idiot. Stella didn't need to tell me I was a dumbass, I already knew. Just like I know, and have known for about a year and four months – ever since you walked in through the precinct doors, that I am madly in love with you Jess Angell. I'm not a poet or a writer so I don't know the right words to describe how I feel, I'm just a guy with a high school diploma trying to tell his girlfriend how insanely, truly, madly, deeply, completely in love with you I am. Because I am Jess, I love you. Every single little part of you. I love how you always know when I need a break, I love your laugh, your smile, your eyes that can somehow see into my soul and your hair that's like silk. I love your biker boots and that sexy as hell leather jacket you have. I love how when you get angry your nose wrinkles in frustration, I love how you know exactly what I'm thinking all the time. I love how we know we have each other's backs and I love how everyone can see our connection. I love your compassion, your strength, your humour, your bravery, your honesty, your loyalty and so many other qualities about you that I can't even name. I can't lose you Jess, I love you so much." Don stood and rested his forehead against the door. "But Jess I could go on all night about how much I love you but I'm really worried about why your arm is in a sling and your dripping wet. So please let me in so I can kiss you senseless and check to see if you're okay."

The door opened and Jess practically jumped into Don's arms.

"You'll never lose me, I promise." Jess murmured into Don's chest, breathing in his familiar scent. "I love you too, so much that sometimes I can barely breathe."

The relief that washed through Don was palpable.

"I love you more," he whispered before sticking true to his first point and kissing her senseless. Her arm, that was unencumbered by the sling wove around his neck as he deepened the kiss and they both moaned in pleasure. Flack pulled Jess into his body, his hands placed possessively on her lower back and neck as they continued to kiss.

Suddenly one of Jess's moans turned into a yelp of pain and Don cursed himself for being such an idiot. Her arm.

Breaking away and leaning their foreheads together they gazed into each other's eyes for what seemed like eternity before Don stuck true to his second and third point.

"Why is your arm in a sling and why are you dripping wet?"

Jess leaned in for a chaste kiss, "Well Hawkes thinks I have a sprained wrist, 'cos I had to jump over a car's hood today to catch this kid who I then crash landed on, and my wrist somehow got tangled up in the mix. This stupid, painful sling was his contraption so remind me to kick his arse tomorrow and I'm dripping wet, as are you now, because I decided to walk home and not chance driving and it started to pour."

"Oh," was all Don said as he leant in for another searing kiss. "We should get changed before we get sick, my spare clothes are still here right?"

Jess nodded and pulled him into her bedroom, "third drawer. I'll go get changed in the bathroom – be right back." With a swift kiss, Jess departed for her en-suite, fresh clothes in hand.

Don quickly changed into his baggy red Rangers hoodie and dark sweats before heading back out to the kitchen so he could dunk the pizzas in the oven to re-heat and put the dvd into the player.

After about ten minutes of silence, Don was wondering where Jess had got to. Walking over to her bathroom door, he tapped lightly.

"Jess? Honey you okay?"

Silence.

He decided to chance it. Slowly opening the bathroom door, he stuck his head through to survey the scene.

Jess was sat on the edge of the bath, which Don had filled with bubbles and surrounded by flickering, scented candles, trailing her hand through the water. At least she had got changed into sweats and a tank top, and was out of her wet clothes, Don thought.

Sliding up behind her and lacing his arms around her body, he pulled her up and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"It's probably gone cold," he said before starting to trail kisses down Jess's neck and onto her bare shoulders.

"Mmmm," Jess murmured in agreement, words momentarily failing her.

"Come on pizza's in the oven & films about to start." Don grabbed Jess's hand and pulled her through into the lounge, "I won't be a second. I love you."

Jess got comfy on the couch and waited for Don and the enjoyable evening that stretched out in front of her, maybe today wasn't so bad after all.

A few hours later, the pair were both fast asleep on the couch, Jess in Don's arms and her head on his chest, both covered by the blanket and both dreaming sweet dreams.

**A/N Hope you enjoyed that. If only every guy was as perfect as Don Flack. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought & keep an eye out for chapter 3. x**


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